How to Recover Outlook Account

Microsoft Outlook is one of the most prominent software used by almost all businesses. It is a multi-purpose personal information management system, developed by the tech giant Microsoft. Microsoft Outlook is available as a part of the Microsoft Office Suite. It is widely used for managing email clients. However, Outlook provides a wide range of functionalities such as calendaring, task managing, journaling, contact managing, web browsing, and note-taking. It also provides two options according to the type of user. Individual users can make use of the stand-alone application. Professionals in an organization can make use of multi-user software. This multi-user software provides a range of group facilities like folders, mailboxes, calendars, appointment scheduling, and data aggregation.

In order to use Outlook’s services, you must have a Microsoft account. This account has a username and a password. You can use these credentials to log in to your account as and when needed. However, in some cases, you may have lost access to your account. This may happen for several reasons – you may have lost your password, forgot your password, you may have deleted your Microsoft account, or even been blocked by Microsoft. If you are facing any of the above problems and struggling to log in to your account, then this article is just for you. Keep reading to find the perfect solution and to regain access to your account.

Case 1 – Forgot Your Password

Microsoft asks for your email address and your password to log in to your Outlook account. But if you don’t have your password, then you can recover your account and reset your password by various other methods. Continue reading to find the best method that suits you –

Method 1 – Using Recovery Email or Phone Number

When you have created your Microsoft account, you may have entered your recovery email and mobile number. This method makes use of your recovery information to reset your password. If you haven’t linked your email address or mobile number with your Outlook account, then this method is not for you. You can keep reading the other methods given below to recover your Outlook account.

1. Go to the official homepage of Microsoft Outlook.
2. Click on Sign In in the top right corner.
3. Enter your email address, phone number or Skype ID.
4. Click on Next.
5. Instead of entering the password, click on Forgot Password? below.
6. A list of options are available below. You can choose what Microsoft should do. You can either get an email to your registered email address, get a text message or a call on your mobile phone. Click on Get Code.
7. Whatever method you choose, you will resceive a verification code in the respective media. Note it down.
8. Enter the verification code in the next text box.
9. Click on Next.
10. If your code is correct, you can now reset your password. Enter your new password and click on Next.
11. You will now be redirected to your sign-in screen.
12. Sign in with your username and your new password.

You have now successfully changed your password. You can log in to your Outlook account with your new password.

Method 2 – Using your Recovery Code

If you have not linked a recovery phone number or a recovery email address to your Outlook account, then this method will come to use. You can use this method even if you cannot access your recovery email or mobile number. When creating your account or using your account previously, Microsoft provides you an option to generate a recovery code (Your recovery code is 25 characters long). This code is to help you recover your account in case something goes wrong. You will be using this code to recover your account in this method. If you have not generated a recovery code previously, then this method is not suitable for you. You can keep reading the next method. However, if you have your code, follow the steps mentioned below to regain access to your account –

1. Follow the steps 1 – 5 from Method 1.
2. From the list of options that appear, click on I don’t have any of these.
3. Enter your recovery code in the next page.
4. Click on Use Recovery Code.

Outlook verifies your code and helps you get your account back. You can now access your account. However, if you got your code wrong or face any other problem with your verification, you must follow the next method.

Method 3 – Manual Verification Process

If any of the above-mentioned methods do not work for you, then you have to manually verify your identity. Follow the step-by-step instructions given below and you will be good to go.

1. Follow steps 1-5 from Method 1.
2. Click on I don’t have these anymore.
3. The Send code button will now change to Verify Online automatically. Click on it.
4. You have now reached the manual account verification form.
5. Enter the email address registered with your Outlook account in the first text box.
6. In the next text box, enter the email address which you have access to. You can either enter the same email as entered above or a different one. If you don’t have another email address, share the email of a trustable person. This is the email through which Outlook will contact you.
7. Enter the captcha code as you see in the text box below.
8. Hit Next.
9. You may receive a verification code in your contact email address that you entered just now. If prompted, enter the code received and verify your identity. If not, then continue to the next step.
10. You will now be taken to a new form where you have to fill out your details.
11. Enter your First Name.
12. Enter your Last Name.
13. Select the month, day and year of your date of birth from the respective drop-down boxes.
14. Enter the country where you created this account.
15. You will also answer the security question which you created during the account creation.
16. Enter all the other details that they ask you.
17. After you have entered all the requested information, click Submit.

Once you have submitted your request, the Microsoft team will validate your request. They will check the truthfulness of all the data that you have submitted. If they find it matching your account, a password reset link will be sent to your contact email address. If not, a failure message will appear. But be patient as this method will take some time.

Case 2 – Your Microsoft Account is Blocked

Microsoft may block or lock your account if it notices any suspicious activity in your account. This may include multiple sign-ins at the same time, signing in at multiple devices, signing in at multiple locations at the same time, fraudulent activity, or any other illegal activity. In such cases, you cannot log in to your account. You cannot access it from anywhere. You need to unblock your account before accessing it. Here is what you can do to unblock your account –

1. Open your web browser and go to the Microsoft Account Recovery Page.
2. Enter the email address registered with your Outlook account.
3. Enter the captcha characters and click on Next.
4. You will receive a verification code in your email or phone number. Enter the verification code in the text box.
5. Once you receive your security code, you will be taken to a new page where you can reset your password.
6. Change your password here.

Once you have changed your password, your account is unlocked. You can log in to your account whenever you want using your new password.

Case 3 – Your Outlook Account is Deleted or Removed

There are a few cases in which you may have deleted or removed your account by mistake. Even if you have deleted your account on purpose, you may have changed your mind and want to recover it. In such cases, you can recover or reset your account if you follow all the steps mentioned below –

1. Locate your Outlook data in your device. Usually, all your Outlook data in a Windows PC is stored at C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook.
2. Find the PST file from the folder and copy the location of your PST file.
3. Open MS Outlook from your computer.
4. Go to the Files tab.
5. From all the options listed below, choose the Import and Export option.
6. The Import/Export wizard will open up. From the wizard, find and select Import from another program from file.
7. Click on Next.
8. Choose the .pst option (Personal Folder File).
9. Click Next.
10. Paste the location of the PST file that you copied earlier or just browse and select the file manually. You can also take a look at the PST file recovery article.
11. Click Finish.
12. Your MS Outlook account will be restored immediately.

Note: Before you access your account, make sure that you restart or reboot your computer.

Contacting Microsoft Support

If any of the above-mentioned methods do not suit you or if you are searching for a solution to some other problem, then you can directly contact the Microsoft Support team. Go to the Microsoft Support Page. Scroll down and you will find a few issues that you may face. If you are facing one of the mentioned problems, then click on it. If not, then enter your problem in the search bar given below and hit enter. A few articles will appear that may help you solve your problem. If not, there is an option to contact a team member directly.